Life/Work Integration
Posted: February 2, 2015 Filed under: Misc. Leave a commentWork to live or live to work? That is the question. Work to live is the trend du jour. After all, who is going to admit that they live to work? But why do we have to choose—can’t we have both? There will always be people who espouse one extreme or the other, but I’m willing to bet that most of us are somewhere in the middle.
Work often gets a bad rap, but there are many reasons to value work other than needing the income and benefits. Work has a positive impact on physical and mental health and self-esteem. It also provides a rewarding sense of connectedness.
The key for finding what is right for you and not feeling a need to justify your choice is balance. While commonly called work/life balance, I prefer to call it life/work integration. Sometimes life requires more, sometimes work requires more. In today’s “always connected, always on” world, demands for your time and attention are, by necessity, fluid.
In a June 16, 2014 blog post, I commented, “Here’s a simple tenet for balance and happiness that I keep in mind: know what you love and love what you do. Living to work is not a privilege that comes easy.” But don’t take my word for it. Many great leaders feel the same way.
Photo by Mark Baker
The Power of a Compelling Story
Posted: January 30, 2015 Filed under: Misc. | Tags: Humans of New York, Mott Hall Bridges Academy, Ms. Lopez, Vidal Leave a comment
This story begins with the creation of the blog Humans of New York (HONY): one guy (Brandon Stanton) with his a camera on a mission. First, it was pictures only. Then, it was pictures with captions in a subject’s own voice. Now, see how one of his snapshots has taken on a life of its own. Visit the HONY Facebook page, scroll down to January 19, and follow along to enjoy the story of Vidal, Ms. Lopez, and the students of Mott Hall Bridges Academy. Here’s a brief synopsis.
- January 19: Vidal describes his Principal and the positive impact she has had on him.
- January 22: The Principal, Ms. Lopez, shares her dream to provide these kids hope. Brandon, Ms. Lopez and other school leaders brainstorm ways the HONY community could help the scholars at Mott Hall Bridges Academy succeed. They land on an idea to create an annual field trip to Harvard University so these students can see that they can go anywhere and they can belong. A crowdfunding initiative is launched with a goal of raising $100,000. One of Vidal’s classmates, Adrian, was asked “What’s your biggest goal in life?” His answer?
“I want to make it out of the hood. I don’t have to go that far. But if I can just live an inch outside, then I’ll feel safe and know that I’m straight.”
- January 23: The goal has been shattered within 24 hours. Enough has been raised to fund 10 years of Harvard trips. A new goal is established to fund a summer educational program.
- January 26: Now that 10 years of the summer program has been funded, it’s on to the next goal. The crowdfunding continues to establish The Vidal Scholarship Fund, with Vidal designated as the first recipient.
As of this writing, over $900,000 has been raised in less than a week. The HONY Facebook page will probably have 12,000,000 followers by the time this is published, which is more than the circulation and digital readership of the 10 largest newspapers in the country combined.
This story has captured the hearts and minds of tens of thousand of people, in a similar fashion to how the ice bucket challenge went viral in the summer of 2014. It’s a reminder that while facts and figures are important, telling stories and putting a face to an experience can be even more powerful. As I ask myself this question, I challenge you to ask yourself, “How are you finding your voice to use compelling stories in your work and personal interactions?”
The Seven Most Influential Things I Read in 2014
Posted: January 12, 2015 Filed under: Business, Change, Leadership, Misc. | Tags: agile teams, continuous productivity, Davos, holacracy, mindfulness, self organizing, Theory U Leave a comment
Amidst the flurry of year-end recaps, several bloggers did an iteration of “This Most Influential Things I Read This Year.” This is a very interesting question—here’s my take.
Theory U. “Theory U proposes that the quality of the results that we create in any kind of social system is a function of the quality of awareness, attention, or consciousness that the participants in the system operate from.”
Continuous Productivity: New tools and a new way of working for a new era. “Continuous productivity is an era that fosters a seamless integration between consumer and business platforms.“
Davos: Mindfulness, Hotspots, and Sleepwalkers. All the signs are present that mindfulness is reaching the tipping point.
The Re-working of “Work”. “This report analyzes key drivers that will reshape the landscape of work and identifies key work skills needed in the next 10 years.”
Build a change platform, not a change program. How to make change the status quo, not an interruption.
Lost and Found in a Brave New World. At a time when so many feel culturally, organizationally and/or personally “lost,” how can we find our way back to the values and beliefs we hold dear? In the new world, new maps are required. The first step is to realize and admit you’re lost.
The Last Re-Org You’ll Ever Do. Three new approaches to doing business are showing promise (Holacracy, Agile Teams and Self Organizing). Viewed as way out there by some, but, nonetheless, they are happening.
ZMAB15 